Sonic R's Unexpected Development - Game History Secrets

Today on Game History Secrets, Liam talks about his journey uncovering the development of Sonic R, a Sonic game made by Traveller's Tales and overseen by the usual developers of Sonic the Hedghog games, Sonic Team, for the Sega Saturn.

Liam Robertson is a video game researcher and archiver. In his spare time, Liam creates videos and articles for various outlets, and will also be contributing to the Did You Know Gaming channel.

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Sources/Further Reading:
GameInformer Magazine issue #124, p113
SEGA Saturn Magazine (JP) - June 1997 issue, P40
SEGA Saturn Magazine (UK) - August 1997 issue, p19
SEGA Saturn Magazine (UK) - October 1997 issue, p21
Tips & Tricks Magazine - September 1997 issue (031), p47
Electronics Boutique Christmas 1997 Catalog, p85

#sonic #sonicr #sonicthehedgehog #sega

[blackdressbess]

I find it surprising so many think R's soundtrack is odd or out of place. It's definitely different from the Adventure era's rock focus, but considering that Sonic CD (the only other Sonic game with a CD soundtrack at the time) also had a very 90s City Pop vibe going on, it lines up quite perfectly.

[Superstumpgrinder]

As someone who 100%'ed this game as a kid, the music is honestly the best thing about it. Iconic.

Even though it's kinda weird and a little "off brand" for Sonic as a whole, I can see why everyone ended up so taken with it.

[mdh]

There’s something oddly cozy about Sonic R, a vibe that feels low key yet very inviting. No wonder it’s probably the “bad” Sonic game most people have a soft spot for.

[CodeXCDM]

Conceptually, I think this sort of racing game should be revisited. I liked how the character skills opened up new paths to close the speed gap against the likes of Sonic.

[Carbonific]

I was surprised to hear Sonic R was so negatively received as an adult, because I loved the game as a kid. I had a lot of fun finding all the collectibles and unlocking all the bonus characters.

[AlfredoAVA]

I actually chatted with TJ Davis (the vocalist) some years ago, and came ridiculously close to redesigning her website. It wound up not happening, but either way, she was VERY kind and an absolute joy to talk to 😊 Say what you want about this game, but the soundtrack rules ass 🤘

[KeebeThePlush]

This was not only the closest we got to a tire 3D sonic Saturn game, but the one where racing on foot made the most sense

[RebeccaGunn]

Some of the features that didn't make the saturn release did turn up in the PC version that was released a few years later and became the common base version used for re-releases. They day/night cycle was restored with each stage having a day/dawn/night version and weather was also added with rain and snow randomly showing up. Snow will freeze over any bodies of water which makes skipping half the race pretty easy too. I think the PC version also added little introductory blurbs from TJ for each track as well.

[daniel]

I LOVED Sonic R as a kid. I'd play for hours just for the soundtrack and to play as Sonic in 3D

[Jazzy_Waffles]

Sonic R is un-ironically one of my favorite games. I won't lie, it's mostly due to nostalgia, as I have many hours clocked into the PC version. But I have so many memories in the 90s playing this, and placing the CD in a player and listening to the soundtrack. Thank you for this upload!

[TSRL_ZZ]

Calling Sonic R rough is an understatement but I fucking love playing this game

[ashthedragon]

Great video!! Sonic R stays as one of the most loved games in the franchise by the fanbase, despite it mixed reviews back in the day. It is always interesting to know more of how it was made. Thanks for your amazing work, Liam!

[KirbyVolt]

The most interesting and kind of depressing bit was definitely the lead director getting cut out of the credits in the initial release. From how it's worded, it's hard to determine if he himself didn't want to be in the credits or if someone else was removing him intentionally. Glad it was fixed for the PC version though. (I played that one as a youngster)

[mightyfilm]

"Robotnik's hands are missing from his victory pose" is a great deal funnier than it should be. Look at him waving his sleeves in the air.

[LarvalGhoul]

I used to play this game every day with my mom as a kid. The soundtrack fills me with so much nostalgia and I would love a sequel to this little gem.

[Tomaszheat]

I bought this game on the PC at Big Lots when I was a kid. I thought it was wild to play a Sonic game on the computer. I loved how glitchy it was, gave it a charm. The song “Can You Feel The Sunshine” still holds a place in my heart.

[bartdude]

My dad and I played this from time to time as a kid and both Sonic R and the Sega Saturn is forever etched in my memories. Seeing Sonic and friends in 3D, the awesome racing and level design, the SOUNDTRACK: it all felt so magical. It was literally the one reason why I bought Sonic Gems Collection just so I could relive my childhood again with this game

[it]

Great work as always Liam!
I'm guessing that Jon Burton has a lot more unreleased content and info on development materials that weren't shared on his channel.
It'd be great if you two could collaborate on more videos like this.

[UsernameDoesntCare]

Sonic R was a game that was brutally and unfairly criticized. The music slapped, the controls were fine (if you hold the bumpers and the stick in the same direction at the same time), had alternate paths to go down in every stage and memorizing where the character coins and emeralds were gave the game extra replayability and made it actually quite fun. I've played and completed the game more than twice, and is one of my go-to games when I pick up the Sonic Gems Collection. I feel like a lot of YouTubers made fun of Sonic Fighters and Sonic R unfairly, and even people who I've talked to just dismiss it outright and get surprised that I completed the game 100%, claiming that I must be some sort of god for having to withstand such a horrible game. There aren't many levels, but they're all fun and great and I feel like Sonic R was the only racing game that makes sense in the Sonic Franchise and I wish there was a sequel that didn't emancipate the characters and their abilities by shoving them all into cars. In an alternate universe, maybe, we'll have a Sonic R2, with more maps, more characters and more banging TJ Davis tracks, and perhaps with slightly better controls.

[vincey]

Soundtrack had no reason to be as good as it was! Work it out always puts me in the mood when I’m in the gym.